STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

SNL 's Lorne Michaels Breaks Silence on Diversity Controversy

Says casting Black women is a priority.

Saturday Night Live's big boss, creator Lorne Michaels, is finally weighing in on the long-running show's diversity problem. Weeks after cast members Jay Pharoah and Kenan Thompson called out the show for its lack of Black female comedians, Michaels tells Associated Press that diversifying the cast is on his mind. 
”It’s not like it’s not a priority for us,” he said. “It will happen. I’m sure it will happen.”
Even Kerry Washington, who was the host of SNL this past weekend, called out the show for its all-white cast. During her opening monologue, in which Washington had to play both Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, a voice-over recording stated, "the producers at Saturday Night Live would like to apologize to Kerry Washington for the number of Black women she will be asked to play. We make these requests because Ms. Washington is an actress of considerable range and talent — and also because SNL does not currently have a Black woman on the cast. Mostly the latter."
The bit continued, "We agree this is not an ideal situation and look forward to rectifying it in the near future, unless, of course, we fall in love with another white guy first."
Jokes aside, hopefully SNL will rectify the situation shortly. And in case they need some inspiration, we made this handy list of all the Black talent to grace the late night sketch series over the years.
BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

(Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.